Page 65 of Shadow of the Fox

“We didn’t mean to intrude,” Daisuke continued, as I still waited, frozen, to see what the shrine maiden would do. “We’re looking for the head priest here. Would you be able to tell us where he is?”

“Who wishes to know?”

I took a quick breath. “I do,” I said, stepping away from Tatsumi. The miko gazed at me calmly, her dark eyes assessing, but she didn’t point and screamdemon foxat me, so I hoped I had been mistaken. “I’ve come from the Silent Winds temple,” I went on, seeing no change in her expression. “I’ve journeyed far to find this place. Please, it’s important I speak with him. Can you tell me where he is?”

She held my gaze a moment longer, then turned away. “Come with me,” she ordered simply, and began walking across the courtyard. We all hurried to follow her, as she led us around the shrine to a row of much smaller, simpler buildings. At the steps to the veranda that circled the first structure, she turned, halting us in our tracks, and pointed a finger in my direction.

“You. Follow me. Only you—the rest of your party must wait here.” She glanced at the others, as if expecting a protest, and narrowed her eyes. “The head priest is very busy at the moment. I do not wish to disturb him with a large group of visitors stomping through the premises. I will take the girl to speak to Master Jiro—everyone else, please make yourselves comfortable until we return.”

“Oh.” I turned to look at my companions, wondering what they thought of this. Okame shrugged, and Daisuke gestured at the steps, indicating that I should follow her. I glanced at Tatsumi, and he gave a slight nod. I supposed he didn’t think a petite shrine maiden was going to be a threat, or maybe he didn’t care one way or another. “All right.”

I trailed her up the steps, down a wooden veranda and past several rooms where the murmur of voices could be heard through the shoji. At the end of the veranda, the miko slid open a door and gestured for me to go inside. I did as she asked, stepping into a small, mostly empty room with a tatami mat floor, a low table and a single flower in an alcove. The head priest was nowhere to be seen.

The door closed with a snap. I whirled to see the miko take a strip of white paper from her haori and press it to the doorframe, the kanji forbarrierwritten on the surface in clear black ink.

An ofuda?I felt a pulse of spiritual energy ripple from the paper strip and spread over the walls. The hairs on my arms rose as a shimmering wall of force surrounded the room, similar to the ki barrier the monks created, but one of pure magic, drawn from the kami and the energy of the world.

The shrine maiden turned, her black eyes hard as they met mine. “I’ve put a barrier around this room,” she announced. “No spirits, demons or yokai can get in or out, and no one outside will hear us. Your friends, if they even are your friends, won’t be coming,kitsune.”

My ears flattened as I stepped back, feeling fox magic rise to the surface. So, she had seen me, after all. “I just came to speak to Master Jiro,” I said, in what I hoped was a calming voice. “I’m not here to cause trouble.”

“No?” The miko’s gaze narrowed. “Did you think you could just walk in here and I wouldn’t know a yokai when I saw one? Even a half yokai. I speak to the kami every day. I see their world as clearly as my own.” She gestured past the sealed door. “Those men outside—none of them know what you really are, do they, fox? You’re deceiving them all.” A hard smile crossed her lips. “You won’t find me so easily fooled.”

“I came here for help,” I insisted. “I’m from the Silent Winds temple. My master sent me to find the head priest of the Hayate shrine.”

“Why?”

“Because...” I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to fight the miko, but it was clear she didn’t trust a word I was saying. She saw only a kitsune, and the reputations of the mischievous foxes preceded me. If I wanted to talk to the priest, I had to get past the shrine maiden.

“Because...” I sighed again and reached into my furoshiki. “I have this.”

The shrine maiden’s eyes got huge as I pulled out the lacquered scroll case, holding it between us. The blood drained from her face, and she took a step backward, staring at the item in my hand as if it were a live snake. “Merciful Kami,” she whispered. “That is... You have a piece of the scroll.” She stood there a moment, then leaned forward with narrowed eyes. “Who else knows of this?” she snapped. “The men outside—are any of them aware that you have the Dragon’s prayer?”

I shook my head. “None of them know I possess the scroll,” I told her. “Or, this piece of it, anyway.” I hesitated a moment, wincing. “Although there is...one, who is searching for it, who was sent to my temple retrieve the scroll.”

“The samurai in black,” the miko guessed. “The warrior of the Shadow Clan. Who is he?”

“His name is Kage Tatsumi,” I told her. “He carries a sword named Kamigoroshi.”

She closed her eyes. “The Kage demonslayer,” she whispered. “I thought I felt something evil close by. I suppose that makes sense, that Hanshou would send him.” Her eyes opened, angry and fearful, glaring at me. “How could you bring that creature into this shrine?” she demanded. “Do you know how dangerous he is, what he could do to the spirits who call this place their home?”

“I needed him,” I told her. “He agreed to help—”

“Because he wants the scroll,” she interrupted. “That’s the only reasonyou’restill alive, kitsune, the only reason the demonslayer hasn’t killed you. If he finds out you have it...”

“My temple was attacked,” I said. “An oni came through, murdered everyone, and tried to take the scroll. I barely escaped.” I shivered, remembering the terror of the horde, the monstrous oni crashing into the hall, and the horror that came after. I had to swallow the lump in my throat before continuing. “Before he died, Master Isao sent me here. He said that the head priest would know where to find the Steel Feather temple.”

“Which has the second piece of the Dragon’s prayer,” the miko finished gravely, and sighed. “Yes, I can see the truth of your words.” She took a step back, rubbing her eyes as if they pained her. “Though I don’t know why the monks let a yokai run off with something so important. I suppose they were desperate.”

I ignored the contempt in her voice, slipping the case back into my furoshiki. “My name is Yumeko,” I told her. “Master Isao and the monks raised me. I spent my entire life in that temple. I didn’t know the story of the Dragon until recently, but I did promise to take care of the scroll. I have no intention of letting it fall to the demons, or into the hands of evil humans. I’ve come a long way, fought bandits and gaki and omukade, to talk to the head priest.” I pinned back my ears, feeling a tiny bit of desperation and anger rise to the surface. “If I really was pure yokai, I would have dropped the scroll in the river and let it wash out to the sea.”

“You’re right. I am sorry, kitsune.” The shrine maiden straightened, becoming more formal. “I apologize for my bluntness,” she offered. “I am known as Reika, and I’m the senior shrine maiden for the Hayate shrine. I am also the only one who knows about the Dragon scroll besides Master Jiro.”

“You know the legend, then. About the scroll and the Dragon’s wish.”

“Yes.” Reika nodded. “Master Jiro told me about the scroll, the Dragon’s prayer and what will happen if the Dragon is summoned. But there is one thing he would not reveal, and that is the location of the Steel Feather temple.” A faint, bitter smile twisted her lips. “I suppose it was for my protection.”

“I have to get to the Steel Feather temple,” I said. “I promised I would deliver the scroll to the monks there. Will you allow me to speak to Master Jiro?”

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